công an

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 公安.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːŋ˧˧]

Noun

công an

1. public security

   đồn công an ― public security station

2. (colloquial) public security (law enforcement) officer

   nhờ công an chỉ đường ― to ask a public security officer for directions

Usage notes

• While công an refers to the law enforcement forces in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, equivalent institutions outside of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China are usually referred to as cảnh sát. Cảnh sát also refers to various branches of such forces in Vietnam.

Descendants

• → Khmer: កុងអាន (kongʼaan)

See also

• cảnh sát
• sen đầm
• cảnh; cớm

Derived terms

• ông can